Tegan Marie Lights Up 2018 With Release Of New Single “Keep It Lit”

Rising country sensation Tegan Marie welcomes 2018 with the release of her brand new song – and debut for Warner Music Nashville – “Keep It Lit” on January 19. The track, which showcases her acclaimed vocal chops, will initially be available for digital download and on streaming services.

Discovered by girls’ media platform Sweety High, Tegan signed to Warner Music Nashville last summer – 13 at the time – making her the youngest female in 45 years to ink a major Country deal. HuffPost also took notice of the young star’s talent naming her to its 10 Country Artists To Watch In 2018 list while critics and industry executives have given early praise:

“Tegan Marie is primed to be country music’s first Gen Z star… Between her natural talent and the powerhouse team behind her (hitmakers Scott Hendricks and Nathan Chapman, plus Gen Z media gurus Sweety High), don’t be surprised if Tegan Marie is a breakout country star sooner than later.” – HuffPost“[Tegan] Marie has the personality and voice of a future star, and she definitely has the always hard-to-define ‘It.’” – USA Today

“‘Tegan is just a thousand-watt light bulb in a dark room.
When you look for ‘it,’ the definition is Tegan.’” 

– Phil Guerini (GM, Radio Disney; VP of Music Strategy, Disney Channel) – Detroit Free Press

Co-written by Tegan, “Keep It Lit” is produced by acclaimed hitmaker and WMN’s VP of A&R, Scott Hendricks (with 70 #1 hits for artists including Blake Shelton and Alan Jackson).

“I’ve never signed an artist as young as Tegan,” shared Hendricks. “I hear lots of talented young female singers, but Tegan had that extra ‘thing’ I’ve only seen from stars that have made it to the top. She lights up any room she walks into and her singing was far beyond her years. The first time I recorded her I was ‘jaw dropped’ by her technical abilities and professional approach.”

The fun, up-tempo tune, named after an expression popular with Tegan’s generation (Gen Z) “lit,” celebrates happiness, good vibes and lightheartedness. It’s also her rallying cry to inspire people across the country to make 2018 a year of positivity and hopefulness.

Tegan is starting 2018 on a high note. During her history-making year she also made waves across the Internet. In 2017 alone, she garnered 100 million video views, had 270 million social engagements and gained two million social followers. Other highlights included making her debut at the Grand Ole Opry and collaborating with Hendricks and multi-GRAMMY winner Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, Martina McBride).

For more information on Tegan Marie, visit teganmarie.com.

Country Duo Smithfield Joins Granger Smith’s Winter Tour

Billboard’s ‘You Should Know’ country duo Smithfield has just been added to 12 select dates on Wheelhouse Records chart-topping artist Granger Smith’s 2018 winter tour. The fellow Texas bred acts will kick-off the tour on January 18th at Irving Plaza in New York, NY. 

Tour Dates
Thursday, January 18th: Irving Plaza | New York, NY
Friday, January 19th: Paradise Island Rock | Boston, MA
Saturday, January 20th: Starland Ballroom | Sayreville, NJ
Thursday, January 25th:  Kegs Canal Side | Jordan, NY
Friday, January 26th: Upstate Concert Hall | Clifton Park, NY
Saturday, January 27th: Trocadero Theatre | Philadelphia, PA
Sunday, January 28th: Anthology | Rochester, NY
Thursday, February 1st: Castle Theatre | Bloomington, IL
Saturday, February 3rd: Prarie’s Edge Casino Resort | Granite Falls, MN
Thursday, February 8th: Ram’s Head Live | Baltimore, MD
Friday, February 9th: Dusty Armadillo | Rootstown, OH
Thursday, February 15th: The Griffin Restaurant | El Dorado, AR

The groundbreaking duo consisting of Jennifer Fielder and Trey Smith are continuing to blaze an undeniable path with current single “When You’re Gone.” The twosome’s ‘sexiest song yet’ (Rolling Stone Country) has accumulated more than 2.1 million streams on Spotify, 480K views on YouTube and is consistently topping the CMT 12-Pack Countdown. View the video on CMT.com HERE

Smithfield’s entire debut EP is available on iTunes HERE.

John Schneider Covers The Dukes of Hazzard Theme Song To Raise Funds for The Waylon Fund

John Schneider is a modern American storyteller whose career spans four (4)-decades as, actor, singer, songwriter, producer, director and screenwriter, beginning with his television debut in 1978 as the iconic Bo Duke, on CBS’ The Dukes of Hazzard. Proud of his roots and the time spent playing Bo Duke, John entered the studio in November after a good friend Scott Innis (also songwriter on his latest album Ruffled Skirts), invited him to re-record the revolutionary theme song, “Good Ole Boys” originally performed by Waylon Jennings.

John along with famed producer/drummer Paul Leim and producing partner, Alicia Allain entered Backstage Studios with Bob Bullock to re-record the track with guest vocals by Tanya Tucker, John Conlee, Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson, Doug Supernaw, Mark Wills, Heidi Newfield, Bobby Bare, Dave Gibson, Ray Scott, T. Graham Brown, T.G. Sheppard, Jo-el Sonnier, Kelly Lang, Jim Brown, Allie Coleen, Steve Wariner, Colin Raye, Max T. Barnes, Jamie O’Neal, Kalie Rose, Danny Shirley, and Marty Raybonwith.

The track, which is available for purchase now, is to raise funds for Jennings’ Diabetes research foundation called, The Waylon Fund and kicks off his Odyssey project/collection where John will release one new track a week for the entire year of 2018. To commemorate the occasion, John pieced together this music video for “Good Ole Boys” which takes fans behind the scenes to the recording session.

The Odyssey is a 52-song collection that melds traditional country music with Americana, Southern Rock, Blues, and a hint of R&B to showcase “the best songs never recorded” by some of Nashville’s most acclaimed and renowned songwriters (Paul Overstreet, Chuck Cannon, Keith Stegall, Jenee Fleenor, Mac Davis, Bill Anderson, to name a few) and musicians (Steve Gibson, Matt Rollings, Glenn Worf, to name a few). The project includes Artist Studio Access, a 30-minute TV show via CineFlix Digital on Demand, and is a behind-the-scenes access of the writing, recording and inspiration of each song. John, producing partner Alicia Allain, and famed drummer/producer Paul Leim recorded the project with Bob Bullock at Backstage Studios.

“GOOD OLE BOYS” PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Produced by Paul Leim, John Schneider and Alicia Allain
Recorded by Bob Bullock at Backstage Studios (Nashville, TN)
Assisted by Justin Francis and Kam Luchterhand
Additional engineering by Kevin Sokolnicki
Mixed by Bob Bullock at Cool Springs Mix (Franklin, TN)
Mastered by
Production Coordinator: Jason Campbell
Paul Leim – Drums
James Mitchell – Electric Guitar
Joe Hudson – Electric Guitar
Glenn Worf – Bass
Steve Gibson – Acoustic Guitar
Matt Rollings – Piano
Tim Akers – B3 Organ
Heidi Newfield – Harmonica
Bergen White – Background Vocals
Cindy Walker – Background Vocals
Tania Hancheroff – Backgrounds

Guest Vocals – Tanya Tucker, John Conlee, Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson, Doug Supernaw, Mark Wills, Heidi Newfield, Bobby Bare, Dave Gibson, Ray Scott, T. Graham Brown, T.G. Sheppard, Jo-el Sonnier, Kelly Lang, Jim Brown, Allie Coleen, Steve Wariner, Colin Raye, Max T. Barnes, Jamie O’Neal, Kalie Rose, Danny Shirley, Marty Raybon.

With this new invigorating spirit, John is proud to be back at the Opry at The Ryman on January 6, 2018 to debut a collection of new songs. Tickets for John’s Opry at The Ryman performance on January 6, 2018 can be purchased here!

Keep up with Schneider at JohnSchneiderStudios.com!

Chris Janson Lights Up Bridgestone Arena with Stellar Performance of New Single “Drunk Girl”

Breakout singer / songwriter and critically-acclaimed performer Chris Janson joined country music superstar Garth Brooks on Saturday, December 23 for the final North American date of his massive three-year World Tour. Personally selected by the legendary entertainer, Janson opened the sold-out Nashville show with a set that included his widely praised new single and one of Rolling Stone’s 25 Best Country Songs of 2017, “Drunk Girl.” The crowd responded to the “heart-piercing ballad” (People) by illuminating Bridgestone Arena with thousands of lights.

“2017 was a banner year, and an even better holiday season,” said Janson. “The show with Garth was a highlight no doubt – it was hands down one of best crowds I’ve ever played to. It was a very welcoming and music-loving audience. Garth is a gem, and his staff is better than ever.”

Janson will take “Drunk Girl,” declared by CMT as “quite possibly the most important song to come out of Nashville in years,” to viewers across the nation on Megyn Kelly TODAY this Friday, January 5 at 9:00 a.m. The “masterfully written and produced” single (Sounds Like Nashville) follows his second No. 1 smash hit “Fix A Drink” as it starts to climb the charts at country radio, where he was the most-added male upon impact.

Janson’s reflective moments will meet his much-admired high-energy on the road this year, from his first-ever headlining date at Nashville’s own Ryman Auditorium on February 5 to Cole Swindell’s cross-country “Reasons to Drink” Tour.

Luke Bryan Starts New Year Off with New Single “Most People Are Good”

Luke Bryan kicks off 2018 with the release of his latest single, “Most People Are Good.” The new track is the second release from his brand new album, What Makes You Country, and serves as welcoming tracking as we start a brand new year. The message is strong throughout with lyrics such as, “I believe this world ain’t half as bad as it looks/I believe most people are good/I believe that days go slow and years go fast/and every breath’s a gift, the first one to the last.”

“I think it’s a song that will truly help people believe in people again. I think it’s so truthful in so many ways. We do get reminded every day of all the negativity of what humans are, and truly it’s only .001 percent of people causing all the negativity. I mean, I truly believe that,” says Luke. “I’m going to open the door for anybody and so many other people believe that way. I’m going to say hey to a stranger. I’m going to help somebody out in need, and that’s what this song really, really preaches. It preaches the innocence of children, the beauty of mothers, the beauty of relationships, the beauty of what life truly could be and should be and really is. I truly believe that most people lay their heads down at night and try to be better and try to be good to other people. And I think this song captures those emotions perfectly.”

“Most People Are Good” is available now. Grab your copy on iTunes here.